Enclosures for electric food processors, or blenders, are well known in the art. One such enclosure is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 427,016. These types of enclosures are utilized to house a conventional electric blender so that when the blender is in operation, the noise emanating therefrom will be muffled. This noise suppression function is particularly desirable when the blender is being operated in a commercial environment, such as a restaurant or cocktail lounge, so that the customers are not distracted or bothered by the sound of the blender that is processing a beverage.
Blenders include a base and a container, the base having controls and a motor, and the container being adapted to contain ingredients to be mixed. A rotating blade is provided at the bottom of the container and blends ingredients within the container when activated by the motor. The blender may also include an enclosure, as discussed above. Most typical enclosures are formed of two components, that is, a main body and a cover. Usually the cover is hingedly attached to the main body, and the main body is attached to the base of the blender by a plurality of fasteners. As such, when the container of the blender is positioned on the base, it may be accessed by pivoting the cover relative to the main body.
Because it is associated with food products, the enclosure must be frequently cleaned. To do so, some enclosures, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,238, allow the cover to be totally removed from the main body by means of an easy disconnection of the hinge. However, the main body still needs to be disconnected from the blender base which normally requires the manual manipulation of several fasteners which not only is time consuming, but which also, after frequent manipulations, causes wearing of the parts such that a sturdy connection can no longer be maintained. In addition, the direct connection between the main body of the enclosure and the base of the blender acts to transfer vibrations emanating from the base to the enclosure, compounding the noise generated by the blender when in operation. Regardless of the type of connection used between the main body of the enclosure and the base of the blender, vibrations are transferred at any point of direct contact.
Thus, the need exists for a blender having an enclosure which can easily and quickly be disassembled while providing improved noise reduction capabilities.